Together
by DeliriousDisposition
Summary: Torn away from her best friend, Katie is forced to move to a small town on the other side of the country. Her relationship with her parents in tatters, she is determined to make it back to her home town; back to Sadie. However, what will happen when a familiar face moves in next door? And will she learn to build bridges with her family? Katie-centric multi-chap.
1. Prologue

**A/N: First and foremost, I'd like to thank LittleMissyGalPal for encouraging me to write this story and helping me refine some plot details! You guys should all go check out her stories if you haven't already:3!**

**Now, this story will be Katie-centric. I hope that doesn't put you off because I have some big things in mind for this story!**

**Note: Any piece of dialogue that is fully italicised and in inverted commas is a text message, unless everything including the speaker is in italics, then it is a flashback:)! Also, there will be some usages of text speak, but I'll keep it to a minimum.**

* * *

_Prologue_

It had been five years since _Total Drama Island _was first broadcast, but only two since the conclusion of _Total Drama All-Stars, _when the original cast members were told that in order to keep the show fresh, they were being shunted to the side in favour of a "fresher, more entertaining" line-up of teenagers - or so it said in the letter posted through Katie's door at the time - but that isn't what that period in her life marked the conclusion of to Katie personally.

This notice didn't really faze Katie all too much; she hadn't been on the show in years anyway, and the chances of her making a return were very slim. She and Sadie knew that, and like they always did, planned to move on with their lives, together.

However, despite vowing never to leave Sadie's side, one evening, not even forty-eight hours after being dismissed from _Total Drama,_ Katie was called down to her dining room_, _where her parents informed her of their plans to move to a smaller, rural town halfway across the country; halfway across the country from Sadie.

Naturally, Katie resented this idea, but to her dismay, her parents informed her that the cogs were already in motion, and in no less than two months, she and her family would be living in their new home.

Desperately exhausting every avenue, Katie begged Sadie's mother to let her stay with their family, but alas, she was dragged across the country to their new home.

The first few weeks after the move were the hardest; Katie wasn't herself, she began to resent her parents for taking her away from Sadie and she didn't take a liking to their new home either. That was when she decided that she was going to move out...

As a temporary measure, Katie began renting out a flat in the small town her parents migrated to, using her savings. When the time was right and when she had enough money, she was going to move back to her home-town and buy a "BFFFL house" with Sadie, as described by Katie herself in her diary, within a glittery pink heart.

This plan took much longer than Katie expected it to, however. Two years later, she was still in the same apartment, ignoring calls from her parents and only making contact with them if she happened to pass them by in the street. On top of this, despite seeming like Katie's perfect job at the time of her hiring, working in a small candy store in a rather boring town was anything but eventful; she could be standing behind the cash machine for hours before a customer would walk in.

* * *

"That'll be two dollars then, Emily," Katie wore her signature smile as one of the kids of her new village handed her the money over the counter. "Thank you," She continued, slipping the money into the cash register. "Don't eat it all at once or your mom will kill me!" She chuckled as the little girl made her way out the door.

"I'll try!" She giggled, unwrapping a lollipop she had just bought as soon as she stepped out the door. "Well, after this one."

Katie smirked at the girl, shaking her head ever so slightly, until she had walked out of sight. Immediately afterwards, Katie's eyes darted up to the clock on the wall: 5.15pm. She still had another forty-five minutes left of her shift, due to the new Summer opening hours.

As nobody was around to berate her for it, Katie slipped out her mobile phone to text Sadie. "_So bored! I've had five customers today and I've been working since 9am! How has your day been? x"_ she typed into her phone, before pressing 'send' and sitting her phone down on the counter. Moments later, her phone vibrated, prompting her to pick it up and read Sadie's reply.

"_I'm sure it'll get busier when the tourists come!" _It read. Katie's phone then vibrated again, another text from Sadie coming through. "_I went to the mall today with my mom and I saw the cutest boy ever! Like, even cuter than Justin! x"__  
_

Katie's face lit up. _"Really? Did you get a sneaky pic of him? x" _She giggled to herself. *Bzzt*

"_No, my mom dragged me into some store before I got the chance :/ x"__  
_

Katie shook her head, as if Sadie was able to see her reaction. _"Awh, bummer! Maybe you'll see him again? x"_ Katie sent her third message, before putting her phone down on the counter once more. However, just then, she heard the bell chime, signalling that someone had entered the shop, prompting her to swipe her phone from the worktop and hold it behind her back.

"Mrs. Prescott!" Katie smiled. "What are you doing here?"

The woman, who looked to be in her late fifties or early sixties, responded similarly. "Oh, I was just taking a stroll for some fresh air and I thought I'd drop in to see how you were doing." She smiled. "A quiet day, I presume?"

"Very," Katie sighed. "I spent a couple of hours doing a stock-check, to save you the trouble of doing it tomorrow."

"Oh, you shouldn't have," Mrs. Prescott told her. "You really are my star employee!" She winked.

Katie chuckled. "But I'm your only employee?"

"Nevertheless," The woman wagged her finger. "Tell you what, because it's quiet and you're more than deserving, I'll let you lock up early tonight."

"Are you sure?" Katie asked, surprised. "I mean, 'cause I can, like, stick around 'til closing time, no bother."

"No, no, it's a Friday evening," Mrs. Prescott shook her head. "And I've been meaning to have a little chat, now come on, turn the lights off and grab the key."

As instructed, Katie flicked the light switch and lifted the keys from the hook behind the counter. Mrs. Prescott turned the sign on the door, to display 'Closed', before the pair exited the shop, locking the door behind them. *Bzzt* Katie's phone vibrated, causing her face to redden. However, this seemed to go unnoticed by her boss, much to her relief.

The pair walked down the side-walk for about fifty yards, neither one saying a word until Katie broke the silence. "So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" She inquired.

"Ah yes," The older woman nodded. "I've been meaning to ask you for quite some time now - how are things with your parents? I hope you're talking to them again."

Katie sighed at the mention of her parents. "I spoke to my mom last week... And my dad a fortnight ago, but that's it really..."

"I suspected as much," Mrs. Prescott closed her eyes. "Holding a grudge for this long is never healthy, Katie," She uttered. "I really do wish you'd build bridges with them, for your sake, if nothing else."

"I-I don't think I'm ready for that yet... Not until I've met up with Sadie," Katie told the woman. "She's learning to drive, so she'll come through soon, and then... And then I might speak to my mom and dad... Properly, I mean."

"That's what I like to hear," The woman smiled. She and Katie had been walking in the direction of Katie's apartment complex, which wasn't actually that big and only consisted of four flats, one of which was vacant. "Anyway, I believe this is your stop."

Katie looked up at her apartment. "Yup," She nodded. "Thanks for letting me off early - see you on Monday!" She waved, half-running-half-walking into the building.

"Take care!"

The cheery girl ran up the stairs where she was greeted with two large men, carrying a sofa. Opposite them, standing in her doorway, was her neighbour. Keen to find out why these two men were here, she walked over to her.

"Why are they here?" Katie asked her neighbour, who had long black hair and relatively pale skin. "Did somebody rent out the spare apartment?"

"Yeah," She informed her. "Some musician dude, he came by earlier. I can't remember his name, though... He's coming back tomorrow."

"Oh, well that's nice, I love meeting new people," Katie beamed. "We should so bake him something, Danica!"

"Yeah, no." Danica rolled her eyes. "I'm not a baker."

"It was just an idea..." Katie sighed.

With that, Danica went back into her apartment, closing the door behind her. Awkwardly, Katie smiled at the two men who were currently bringing in a chest of drawers, before going into her own apartment.

Locking the door behind her, she put put her keys down on the kitchen worktop, before collapsing down on the sofa. She picked up the remote, switched on the television and began to skim through the channels. "Cooking show, teleshopping, news, cartoon, news, teleshopping," She groaned. "Ugh, nothing." She switched the television off again, before taking out her phone and reading the text she received from Sadie earlier.

_"Oh well, it's not like I stood a chance with him anyway."_ Sadie's text read, causing Katie to frown.

_"What are you talking about? Any guy would be lucky to have you! xx" _She responded, before remembering that it had been a while since she received the text. _"BTW, Sorry for taking so long to reply, I was talking to my boss."_

As Katie expected, Sadie took a longer time to reply than previously, most likely because she'd put her phone down after not receiving a reply. "_NVM. What did your boss say to you? x"_

_"She just said I should try to build bridges with my parents, but I told her that wouldn't happen until I'd seen you again! x"_

*Bzzt* _"Katie, I've told you about this before, you really need to speak to your mom and dad again! Please, Katie, it's not good for you!"_

Katie rolled her eyes. _"Not you too."_ She then put her phone down on the coffee table, ignoring Sadie's next text as she looked across the room at a photo of her and her parents. Annoyed, she got up and flicked it face down, before falling back down onto the sofa one more, staring aimlessly up at the ceiling, before drifting off...

_Katie, her mother and her father were all gathered around a long dining table, with Katie sitting on the opposite side from her parents. Everyone looked upset. "I'm sorry, Katie, but we think it's best to move away from here," Katie's mother said in a sympathetic voice. "We know you don't want to leave Sadie, but it's a beautiful town, and daddy received a job offer not far from-"_

_Katie looked up at her mother, and then her father, tears in her eyes. "Wait, we're moving because you got a new job?!" She glared at her father. _

_"Only partially, sweetie-"_

_"Don't call me that when you're trying to tear me away from my best friend!" Katie snapped. "Just say no to the new job!"_

_"Darling, you know that-"_

_"Stop calling me things like that!" Tears began to stream down Katie's face. "I'm not leaving here! I'm not leaving Sadie!"_

_"Katie, our decision is final." Katie's father stated, now speaking in a stern tone. "We're moving and that is final."_

* * *

**A/N: Sorry that there are so many OCs, it's just to set the mood of the story - that Katie feels alone - and I can assure you that they won't play such a role in future chapters. That'll make the next chapter all the more hitting when her new neighbour moves in:3! No prizes for guessing who the "musician dude" is xD!**

**I hope you guys enjoyed! :D**


	2. An Old Face in a New Place

**Sorry that this update time sucks, but thank you for the feedback! Also, to clarify, it's five years after Total Drama Island, and two after Total Drama All-Stars as season two happened in the same year as season one, making World Tour one year after Island, season four two years later, and All-Stars three years later. That's the time-line I'm going with, which means that Katie is now 21 years old:).**

**Anyway, on with the chapter!**

* * *

Katie shot up, sweating and panting slightly. She glanced up at the clock: 9pm. The television was still blaring in the background, but Katie was still feeling rather disorientated due to her nightmare of a flashback.

She looked down at her phone, sitting upon the coffee table. Knowing that she had ignored Sadie's last text, she picked it up. _Three new messages._

Katie touched her notification, which took her to Sadie's messages:

"_I'm just trying to help you x" _

_"Katie?"_

_"Katie, please don't ignore me! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said what I said, I was being stupid :( xx"_

Without replying, Katie put her phone back down on the coffee table, before going to her bedroom. She pulled open a drawer and removed her pyjamas, which comprised of a t-shirt, shorts, and fuzzy socks.

She tucked her clothes under her arm, before going to her bathroom, where she placed them on a shelf. Once she had done so, she switched her shower on, allowing it to heat up a little, before taking off her work clothes and stepping in.

Like always, Katie began to wash her hair first. Pouring shampoo into her hand, she closed her eyes as she rubbed it into her scalp. Despite taking a shower to try and relax, she couldn't stop thinking about her unsettling dream, which was more of a flashback than anything else.

* * *

_Katie was at her old home, up in her bedroom. The walls were pink and covered in posters of her, and Sadie's, favourite actors, musical artists and movies, as well as picture frames with pictures of her family and friends in them._

_On her pink-and-black-themed bed, Katie was curled up in a ball, crying, shortly after her parents had told her that they were moving. She was clutching a small photo frame, which had a picture of Katie, her mother, her father, her little brother and Sadie in it. Katie and Sadie were behind a little stall, styled to look like a mini, home-made, ice-cream parlour._

_Katie's mother, father and brother all had an ice-cream in their hands and everyone was smiling, which just made Katie all the more upset that she was moving away._

* * *

Katie winced, her eyes shooting open as she tried to shake the memories from her head. She continued to wash her hair, but couldn't quite relax.

* * *

Roughly twenty minutes later, Katie was out of the bathroom, having washed and gotten into her pyjamas, she was carrying a towel to dry her hair. It was only nine-thirty, so she decided to sit down and watch a movie.

She bent down and examined her collection, before selecting one. "Rom-Coms are always the way to go." She smiled to herself, slipping the disc out of the case and putting it into her DVD player.

Whilst the commercials were playing before the select screen, she ran to the kitchen, swung open one of the cupboards and grabbed a bag of popcorn she had, ready for a night-in like this. "I... I won't eat all of this." She told herself, after checking the back of the bag.

With that, she ran back to the sofa just in time for the DVD's select screen to appear. Happily, she pressed play and sunk back in her seat.

* * *

"No, Jason! Rosie loves you!" Katie sobbed, shoving a fistful of popcorn into her mouth as tears were streaming down her face. She was now roughly an hour into the film, and despite laughing merely ten minutes ago, she was now crying due to the events of said film. "You can't leave her like this! She needs you!"

The girl used the blanket that she was under to wipe away her tears. Even though she had seen this movie a countless amount of times, she still felt the same emotions she did when she first watched it.

She tried to take out another handful of popcorn but instead found the bag to be empty, causing her to cry even more.

* * *

Three quarters of an hour later, the film had finished and Katie was even more of an emotional wreck than she was beforehand. "That was like going on an emotional roller-coaster," She muttered to herself, wiping away a tear.

She lifted up the remote and switched off the television, before glancing at the clock once more: 11.15pm.

"What a night," She smiled to herself. "I bet other twenty-one year-olds will still be out partying or something right now, and then there's me, sitting at home." She yawned, tired. "Oh well," She shrugged, standing up from the sofa. "Time to go to bed."

Promptly, the girl rolled up the popcorn bag and tossed it into the bin, before picking up her phone and going about her nightly routine of making sure everything electrical was off and then carrying out her skin-care routine, brushing her teeth and then climbing into bed.

Once she was in bed, she set her phone down on her bedside table, yawning as she did so. "I should probably get up early tomorrow to meet the new neighbour..." She thought aloud, reaching over for her alarm clock in order to set an early alarm. However, in doing so, she managed to use up the last of her energy, and fell asleep, the alarm clock in her hand.

* * *

The next morning, Katie woke up with a fright when she managed to knock the alarm clock onto the floor. "Who's there?!" She shot up and looked at the closed door. She then looked down at the clock on the floor, rolling her eyes at her silliness, before lying back in her bed.

_I wonder what the new guy looks like._ She thought to herself. _He's a musician so he's probably cute. Wait, what am I saying?_

The girl then sat up, before leaning over, picking up her alarm clock and sitting it down on her bedside table once more.

With a stretch, she then pushed back the duvet and dragging herself out of bed; setting her feet down on the cold laminated flooring.

Still half-asleep, she wandered over to her door, and opened it, making way for the bathroom. Once there, she looked herself up and down in the mirror before uttering one word, or sound, to put it more accurately: "Eugh".

* * *

Roughly an hour later, Katie had washed, dressed and was looking much more presentable than before. What with it being Saturday, Katie had nothing to do, so she decided to call round to her neighbour Danica, in order to ask her if she knew what time their new neighbour was coming back.

Just as she exited her apartment, she heard a loud thud followed by a clearly male voice yelping out in pain. This caused Katie to gasp, worried but intrigued at the same time, due to the fact that the voice came from the apartment that was soon-to-be-occupied by the musician Danica informed her of yesterday.

Letting her curiosity get the better of her, she decided to knock at the door, ready to meet her new neighbour. _But what if it's just the men that move the furniture? _She thought, just after knocking. _Oh n-_

"Door's open," The man's voice came again, still sounding like he was in pain, but less-so than what Katie had just heard a few moments ago.

Swallowing any fear she had, she opened the door slowly. "Sorry to intrude," She uttered. "But I'm your new neighbour, K-Trent?!"

"How'd you-" Trent looked up after tending to his leg. "Katie?!" He furrowed his brow. "You live here?!"

"Yeah," Katie chuckled, surprised. "I would've never guessed you'd move in right next door, though!"

"I'm as surprised as you are," said Trent, his mouth still agape but forming into a smile as he walked closer to the girl. "So how've you been?"

"I've been good," Katie nodded, still trying to get over one of her old _Total Drama_ friends moving in next door to her. "Moved up here almost two years ago." She told the musician.

"I assume you moved in with Sadie?" Trent inquired. "From what I remember, you two were joined at the hip!"

Katie smiled, before sighing. "Sadly, no," She said. "Sadie's still back in Toronto."

"Oh," Trent furrowed his brow, concerned. "Why? That's quite the long-distance friendship you've got there..."

"Yeah," Katie sighed. "We still keep in touch though," She perked up. "Anyway, have you seen anyone else since the show?"

"Me? Yeah; just a couple though," Trent told the pink-clad girl. "I still speak to Gwen from time to time, and of course there's Cody, Justin and Harold." He chuckled at the thought of the Drama Brothers. "Oh, and Geoff and Bridgette - they're still going strong!"

"Awh, it's nice to hear you and Gwen are still friends," said Katie, smiling. "I'm not surprised about Geoff and Bridgette - A relationship like theirs could last a life time, if you ask me."

"Yeah..." Trent sighed. "So anyway, it's you! I'm still in shock that I've bumped into you here - well, even more than that, being your new neighbour and all!"

"It is pretty weird..." Katie said. "Well, weird in a good way!"

"Say," Trent sat down on the arm of his sofa, smiling. "How's about I take you out for a coffee and we catch up? I mean, I know we weren't exactly the closest in our time on the show, but I can't tell you how great it is to see a familiar face."

"Shouldn't I be the one taking _you _for a coffee?" Katie chuckled. "Introducing you to the area and such?"

"Okay, how's about this: I'll buy the coffees and you can take me on a tour of the village?"

"Sounds like a plan," Katie smiled. "When were you thinking?"

"Whenever you're free, really," Trent shrugged.

"How about today, then?" Katie offered. "The weather's nice and I'm not doing anything. Unless you've still got unpac-"

"I'm sure that can wait," said Trent with a smile. "I'd rather a chat. Just give me an hour or something and then I'll be good to go, yeah?" He smiled.

"Okay, sure," Katie nodded happily. "I'll be across the hall if you need me." She smiled, before exiting.

As soon as she closed the door, Katie giddily skipped across the landing to her apartment, quickly entering and shutting the door behind her. She walked over to her couch and fell back in it, sighing happily.

"Oh my god..." She muttered to herself. "I so need to tell Sadie about this..."

With that, Katie slid her phone from her pocket and opened up her message thread with Sadie, ignoring the texts that Sadie had sent her last night. "_Oh my god, Sadie, you'll never guess who just moved in next door! xx" _She wrote.

*Bzzt* "_Who? Who? Who? :D x"_

"_Trent! x"_

_*_Bzzt* "_As in, Total Drama Trent?! Xx"_

The girl couldn't help but giggle at Sadie's excitement and intrigue. _"YES! X"_

Roughly twenty seconds later, the phone vibrated once more. _"Oh. My. GOD! This is a sign! This is fate! It's meant to be! xx"_

Katie's face reddened. _"Woah there, Sadie! xxx"_

* * *

The pair continued to text back and forth for most of the hour leading up to Katie and Trent's scheduled village-tour, with Katie only spending the last ten minutes or so getting ready before hearing a knocking at the door, causing her eyes to widen in excitement.

"Katie? Are you ready?"

* * *

**Sorry this chapter is a bit short! Won't say any more but there it is! c:**


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